Saif al-Islam was said to be fleeing across the vast Libyan desert towards Niger yesterday after escaping the carnage of Sirte.Officials said Gaddafi’s favourite son – a British-educated playboy – was travelling in a convoy of three armoured vehicles being hunted by Nato reconnaissance planes.If confirmed, it would be a blow to the National Transitional Council and a huge boost to the dead tyrant’s remaining supporters who would see his survival as a potential rallying point for any insurgency.But conflicting reports emerged yesterday claiming that Saif had been captured in Zlitan, 99 miles from Tripoli, while receiving treatment for wounds.

The fall of the Gaddafi clan: Colonel Gaddafi, left, and, it is thought, his son Mutassim, centre, were both killed on the attack on Sirte yesterday. Saif al-Islam, his heir, right, is thought to have been wounded

No pictures have emerged of Saif since his father was captured and killed on Thursday. If he has been captured, it is likely that mobile phone footage would have surfaced by now.Any escape will worry the British political elite who could face acute embarrassment if Saif was ultimately captured and ended up in court. Saif became close to leading figures in the British government after Tony Blair signed the notorious ‘Deal in the Desert’ in March 2004.Prince Andrew has also been linked to the bomber’s controversial release. The Duke of York was accused of holding secret ‘detailed discussions’ over the release of the Lockerbie bomber with Saif in 2009, during an official Foreign Office-sponsored trip to Algeria.

Laid back: Gaddafi poses on a sofa in a photo taken some years ago with two of his sons, believed to be Mohammed, left, and Saif, right, and his daughter, Ayesha

News of his apparent escape was revealed by Abdul Majid Mlegta, a senior military commander of the interim NTC. His statement came after a day of rumour and conflicting reports in Tripoli that had seen Saif, 39, variously killed, fighting for his life in hospital and being held in custody.In the hours after the deaths of Gaddafi and another son Mutassim, 34 – who had been in charge of Sirte’s defences – it was said Saif had been critically wounded when his convoy was hit by an RAF bombing raid.Saif is thought to be trying to join up with another brother Saadi, 38, who fled to Niger in September together with other Gaddafi allies and a fortune in gold and U.S. dollars.

Mohammed, 41. Status - fled: The only child from Gaddafi's first wife, Mohammed was head of the Libyan Olympic committee and chairman of the General Post and Telecom Company which operated the country's mobile phone and satellite communications networks. He fled to Algeria after the fall of Tripoli.

Saif al-Islam, 39. Status - wounded: Gaddafi's eldest son from his second wife, Saif Al-Islam was the dictator's favourite and one-time heir apparent. Educated in London and Vienna, he was a notorious playboy. Rebels claimed to have captured him during the fall of Tripoli but he escaped the capital. Yesterday, the NTC initially said Saif fled Sirte in a convoy heading for the desert, but then announced he was shot in the leg by revolutionary fighters and taken to hospital. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity

In an indication that Niger may become a rallying point for the family, Mlegta revealed that in recent days Gaddafi’s security chief Abdullah al-Senussi, was believed to have ‘slipped into hiding’ in the country. Senussi is Gaddafi’s brother-in-law and wanted for crimes against humanity on an international arrest warrant from the war crimes tribunal.Ten days ago both Saadi and Saif were said to have tried to strike a deal with the NTC that would have allowed Gaddafi to leave Sirte – an offer emphatically rejected. Officials said last night that Saif was believed to have been with his father in Sirte and to have somehow escaped amid the confusion after the convoy fleeing west was twice attacked by Nato drones and warplanes.

Saadi, 38. Status - fled: A former footballer who played in Italy's Serie A league, he ran Libya's football federation and invested millions of pounds in the country's fledgling film industry. He fled to Niger in September.

Hannibal, 36. Status - fled: Violent and abusive, Hannibal was accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend in Paris in 2005 and was arrested for assaulting two servants in a Geneva hotel, but ran back to Libya after being released on bail. He ran Libya's General National Maritime Transport Company, which controlled the country's oil exports. He fled to Algeria with brother Mohammed in August.

Mutassim, 34. Status - killed: A lieutenant colonel in the Libyan army, Mutassim fled to Egypt after masterminding a failed coup against his father. He was forgiven and returned to Gaddafi's side as his national security adviser. Killed in the assault on Sirte, according to NTC officials, although conflicting reports claim he was captured alive.

THE MISSING FIRST WIFE

Fatiha, age unknown. Status - unknown: Gaddafi's first marriage to school teacher Fatiha al-Nuri lasted less than a year.She reputedly never met Gaddafi until the day of their wedding.The couple had one son, Mohammed, but separated after six months and little is known of Gaddafi's first wife after their divorce in 1970.

Yesterday Nato officials released details of it role in possibly the last strikes of the eight-month civil war.

It said planes had hit 11 vehicles in an armoured convoy speeding the late Libyan leader out of Sirte on Thursday, although Nato did not know Gaddafi was in the convoy. The account suggested Gaddafi’s fleeing convoy was considerably larger, and more vehicles were hit, than previously reported. Nato aircraft struck 11 pro-Gaddafi vehicles that were part of a larger group of approximately 75 vehicles near Sirte, the statement said.

‘The vehicles were carrying a substantial amount of weapons and ammunition posing a significant threat to the local civilian population. The convoy was engaged by a Nato aircraft to reduce the threat.’

Ayesha, 34. Status - fled: Nicknamed the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa, Gaddafi's glamorous blonde daughter led rallies of her father's supporters in Tripoli. The Western-educated lawyer was part of Saddam Hussein's defence team. She fled to Algeria with her mother Safiyah and brothers Mohammed and Hannibal in August, and gave birth days later.

Saif al-Arab, 29. Status - dead: Playboy Saif Al-Arab was arrested twice in Germany for an attack on a nightclub bouncer and for excessive noise from his Ferrari F430, while studying in Munich. Charges were dropped as prosecutors ruled trial was not in the national interest. He was killed in a Nato airstrike on the Gaddafi compound in April.

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The statement said that at the time of the strike, Nato did not know that Gaddafi was in the convoy, reiterating that it was not Nato’s policy to target individuals. Last night, Admiral Jim Stavridis, Nato’s top commander, said he was recommending the end of the alliance’s Libya mission calling it ‘a good day for Nato. A great day for the people of Libya’. And Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said a preliminary decision had been made to end the air operation on October 31.In August, as Tripoli fell to rebel forces and after a day of bloody street battles in the Libyan capital, Saif boasted of victory. Despite having been reported captured and under arrest, he appeared outside a Tripoli hotel to make a defiant speech, declaring: ‘We have broken the backbone of the rebels. It was a trap. We gave them a hard time, so we are winning.’ Gaddafi’s other children have all fled the country or been killed or captured during the civil war. It is not known where either of his two wives are.

Khamis, 28. Status - dead: Gaddafi's youngest son led his own feared army unit, the Khamis Brigade, which was infamous for torture and intimidation. He was killed in fighting during the fall of Tripoli

Safiyah, 60s. Status - fled: Nurse Safiyah Farkash al-Baraasi met Gaddafi when he had his appendix removed in 1969 and the couple were married for 40 years. She is the mother of seven of his eight biological children, and the couple also adopted two children, a son and a daughter. Shopaholic Safiyah was reputed to have used Gaddafi's private jet for shopping trips to Europe, and owned airline Buraq Air. Her personal wealth has been estimated at £19billion, including 20 tons of gold. She fled to Algeria with Gaddafi's daughter Ayesha in August.

Hana, mid-20s. Status - unknown: Gaddafi said his adopted daughter was killed in a 1986 U.S. air strike, but in August it emerged she may have lived and become a doctor

The final bloody moments of Muammar Gaddafi's life were still shrouded in confusion today as conflicting reports emerged about who fired the shot that actually killed him.Libya's deposed leader was pulled out alive from a drain under a motorway in Sirte, the city of his birthplace, where he had been hiding with a small group of bodyguards.A clutch of videos have emerged on the internet in which he is seen begging his captors for mercy. His condition varies dramatically, with later footage showing him rambling and drenched in blood.Wounded and terrified, Gaddafi appeared deluded to the end, asking his captors: 'What did I do to you?' His last words were 'Do you know right from wrong?' Scroll down for video of Gaddafi's last minutes...

Was this the moment the dictator died? A handgun points at the head of Gaddafi who is facing the ground with his hands behind his back

Fear on his face after being captured in his home town of Sirte, this is Gaddafi in the moments leading up to his death

Final moments: A dazed Gaddafi gesticulates as rebels parade him through Sirte shortly before he was shot

Grimacing in pain: A still from a video taken from the mobile phone of a rebel fighter shows Gaddafi, his face covered in blood, being dragged around by freedom fighters

Losing blood: Gaddafi lifts a hand to his face to see the blood pouring from his wounds. The mobile phone footage shows the dictator slumped against a jeep but still alive

Moments after the last grainy video was shot, it is believed he was killed. Initial reports suggested he had been executed by revolutionary forces in front of a baying mob.But there have been claims by rebels who witnessed the killing that Gaddafi was actually shot by one of his own bodyguards to spare him further humiliation.

It has also been suggested he was shot during a fight inside an ambulance conveying him to hospital or that he was actually caught in crossfire.

Grisly end: New pictures released today show Gaddafi's scarred corpse on the floor of a freezer where it is being kept before burial

A day Libyans fought for: Gaddafi's eyes are closed and mouth firmly shut as preparations are made for his burial

One rebel claimed that he had been killed as he put up a desperate last fight for freedom. He carried his golden revolver on him at all times, and may have pulled it from his clothes.'He might have been resisting. He might have struggled, tried to escape,' a Libyan revolutionary said.Pictures of Gaddafi's body show a bullet hole in the temple, which supports claims he was shot at close range.'They captured him alive and while he was being taken away, they beat him and then they killed him,' a freedom fighter said.Gaddafi's battered body was paraded through the streets of Sirte to the sound of celebratory gunfire and jubilant shouts.Another video captured the corpse of the 69-year-old being dragged through the streets of Sirte, to be paraded later before celebrating crowds in the nearby port town of Misrata.

Pleading: Muammar Gaddafi begged with his captors for his life after he was found cowering in a storm drain

Paraded: Gaddafi struggled with his captors in video footage taken by rebel fighters after he was found

Chaotic: Gaddafi was pushed around by rebel fighters, one of whom filmed the incident on a mobile phone

Fear: Becoming increasingly desperate, Gaddafi asked a rebel fighter 'What did I ever do to you'

Terrified: Moments after he begged for his life, Gaddafi was shot dead by rebel fighters

The circumstances leading up to Gaddafi's death are more clear.RAF Tornados helped launch the final airstrike by flying surveillance missions which cleared the way for French fighter jets to bomb a Gaddafi convoy.The astonishing end for the tyrant came after he and loyalist fighters tried to flee Sirte as it was overrun by forces of the National Transitional Council.Gaddafi was in a convoy of up to 100 vehicles which tried to break out of Sirte – the last centre of resistance after eight months of civil war – early yesterday.The escape was spotted by Nato which launched two devastating strikes. At least 50 loyalist fighters were killed.Injured in both legs, Gaddafi made his way with bodyguards through trees. The group hid in two concrete sewers but were spotted by rebels.A Libyan named Salem Bakeer said that he and his comrades gave chase to Gaddafi and his small retinue of bodyguards after they fled their convoy following the airstrike.'At first we fired at them with anti-aircraft guns, but it was no use,' said Bakeer. 'Then we went in on foot. One of Gaddafi's men came out waving his rifle in the air and shouting surrender, but as soon as he saw my face he started shooting at me.

Struggle: Video footage shows Gaddafi being hauled off a rebel fighter truck minutes after his capture

Manhandled: The former Libyan leader is propped up against the side of a truck during the melee

Arguing: Gaddafi pictured in chaotic video footage minutes before he was killed

The killing or capture of Gaddafi's senior aides, including possibly two of his sons, as an armoured convoy braved NATO air strikes in a desperate bid to break out of Sirte, might ease fears of diehards regrouping elsewhere.
However, mobile phone video apparently of Gaddafi alive and being beaten might inflame his sympathisers.
A Libyan official said Gaddafi, 69, was killed in custody.

Libyan National Transitional Council fighters hold what they claim to be the gold-plated gun of the late Libyan leader. Photo: AFP

"We confirm that all the evils, plus Gaddafi, have vanished from this beloved country," interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said in Tripoli as the body was delivered, a prize of war, to Misrata, the city whose siege and suffering at the hands of Gaddafi's forces made it a symbol of the rebel cause.
"It's time to start a new Libya, a united Libya," Mr Jibril added. "One people, one future."
A formal declaration of liberation, that will set the clock ticking on a timeline to elections, would be made by Friday, he said.

Shot in head
A spokesman for the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Benghazi, Jalal al-Galal, said a doctor who examined Gaddafi in Misrata found he had been shot in the head and abdomen. Jerky video shown on al-Jazeera showed a man looking like Gaddafi, with distinctive long, curly hair, bloodied and staggering under blows from armed men, apparently NTC fighters.
"They captured him alive and while he was being taken away, they beat him and then they killed," one senior source in the NTC told Reuters. "He might have been resisting."

Last stand ... an anti-Gaddafi fighter points at the drain where Muammar Gaddafi was reportedly hiding before he was captured. Photo: Reuters

Driven in an ambulance from Sirte, his partially stripped body was delivered to a mosque in Misrata. Senior NTC official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters that DNA tests were being conducted to confirm it was Gaddafi. He would be buried in Misrata, most likely by Friday according to Muslim custom.
Officials said his son Mutasin, also seen bleeding but alive in a video, had also died. Another son, heir-apparent Seif al-Islam, was variously reported to have surrounded, been captured or killed as conflicting accounts of the day's events crackled around networks of NTC fighters rejoicing in Sirte.
In Benghazi, where in February Gaddafi disdainfully said he would hunt down the "rats" who had emulated their Tunisian and Egyptian neighbours by rising up against an unloved autocrat, thousands took to the streets, firing their weapons and dancing under the old tricolour flag revived by Gaddafi's opponents.

Mansour el Ferjani, 49, a Benghazi bank clerk and father of five posed for a photograph holding a Kalashnikov rifle. "Don't think I will give this gun to my son," he said. "Now that the war is over we must give up our weapons and the children must go to school.
"But Gaddafi was a terrible dictator and this was the only way to get rid of him. We want everything people have in free countries - we want people to live in peace as you do across the Mediterranean where life doesn't require the machinegun."
In Sirte, a one-time fishing village and Gaddafi's home town in which grandiose schemes had styled a new "capital of Africa" for the "king of kings", fighters whooped with delight and some brandished a golden pistol they said they had taken from Gaddafi.

Bloody end ... in this still image provided by Reuters TV, a man believed to be Muammar Gaddafi, is pulled from a truck by NTC fighters in Sirte. Photo: Reuters

Accounts were hazy of his final hours, though there was no shortage of fighters willing to claim they saw Gaddafi, who had long pledged to go down fighting, cringing underground, like Saddam Hussein eight years ago, and pleading for his life.Final hours
One possible description, pieced together from various sources, suggests Gaddafi tried to break out of his final place of refuge at dawn in a convoy of vehicles after weeks of dogged resistance.

Killed in Sirte ... Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: Getty Images

However, he was stopped by a French air strike and captured, possibly some hours later, after gun battles with NTC fighters who found him hiding in a drainage culvert.
NTC fighters were seen waving a gold-plated gun, which they said belonged to Gaddafi.
NATO said its warplanes fired on a convoy near Sirte about 8.30am, striking two military vehicles in the group, but could not confirm that Gaddafi had been a passenger. France later said its jets had been in action at the time.

Libyan television carried video of two drainage pipes, about a metre across, where it said fighters had cornered the man who had long inspired both fear and admiration around the world.
After February's uprising in the long discontented east of the country around Benghazi - inspired by the Arab Spring movements that overthrew the leaders of neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt - the revolt against Gaddafi ground slowly across the country before Tripoli fell dramatically in August.Liberation

The NTC now faces the challenge of turning Libya into a democracy that can heal an array of tribal, ethnic and regional divisions Gaddafi exploited.
The two months since the fall of Tripoli have tested the nerves of the motley alliance of anti-Gaddafi forces and their Western and Arab backers, who had begun to question the ability of the NTC forces to root out diehard Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte and a couple of other towns.
Gaddafi, wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of ordering the killing of civilians, was toppled by rebel forces on August 23, a week short of the 42nd anniversary of the military coup that brought him to power in 1969.

Ruled with an iron fist ... Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: Reuters

Hundreds of NTC troops had surrounded Sirte for weeks in a chaotic struggle that killed and wounded scores of the besieging forces and an unknown number of defenders.
"There is now this massive expectation. Up to now they've had an excuse that they are running a war. They don't have that now ... Everything now has got to happen," John Hamilton, a Libya expert at Cross Border Information, told Reuters.
"That's a hard task. They have to deliver for the people. On the other hand, this may renew the honeymoon they enjoyed when Tripoli fell, if they can put a decent government together in a short time."

Taking credit ... US President Barack Obama. Photo: Reuters

Some fear instability may linger and unsettle that process.
"Gaddafi is now a martyr and thus can become the rallying point for irredentist or tribal violence - perhaps not in the immediate future but in the medium to long term," said George Joffe, a north Africa expert at Cambridge University.
"The fact that NATO can be blamed for his death is worrying, in terms of regional support, and may undermine the legitimacy of the National Transitional Council."